Contextual and Theoretical Studies
10/12/2009
Lecture 6. Globalization, sustainability and the media. ʻGreen philosophyʼ - ʻEco-oligismʼ - Dominance of one sector (Western, US) of society over another ʻhegemonyʼ. - Definitions - Socialist - To unify the world as one body - single society and function together - Capitalism - Removal of borders / territories, trade everywhere. - ʻWesternizationʼ - ʻAmericanizationʼ. - Globalization - Homogenizing the whole world - Standardization. Cultural Globalization - George Ritzer - ʻMcdonaldizationʼ - used to describe the dominance / cultural dominance of the American way of thinking about the world. Marshall McLuhan - Understanding Media - With the invention of TV, we now live in a ʻglobal villageʼ. - ʻTechnology shrinks the worldʼ. - Brings the macro onto a micro scale. - Technology takes over our senses - Radio is an extension of our ears, TV is an extension of our eyes etc. - Global village thesis. - ʻTechnology brings us togetherʼ - Makes us more aware of whats going on in the world what the world needs. - We can now see what we couldnʼt see before. - Media is an extension of man. - He sees it as a positive thing. - We can see the consequences of actions almost immediately. - Fetishizes effect of technology on society. - Naive. Benjamin R. Barber - Jihad - vs - McWorld. - Centripetal - bring the world together in uniform global society. - Centrifugal - people fighting for dominance destructs the world. - Rival doctrines that are forces to clash. - Fundamentally incompatible. - No matter how much the world is technologically linked, we will never be a global village. Globalization - Nations are no longer important. - We can experience / be part of any nation with the media extension. - Book - ʻGlobalization: A very short introʼ (See Steger quote) - We are witnessing the rise of homogenizing with the power of western culture. - If the global village is run with a set of values - it would not be integrated community would be an assimilated one. - Key thinkers: - Schiller - Chomsky
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Contextual and Theoretical Studies
10/12/2009
Globalization - new form of imperialism TV and Radio etc. hugely dominated by America - Since WWII - Acting in collaboration with military interests. - Time Warner owns a huge amount of sub-companies i.e. Warner Brothers. - All the own sub-companies therefore will portray the same views of the world. - ʻOligopoliesʼ - Huge, over-riding companies i.e. Time Warner. - Divide the world up into territories - evaluates where the ʻmarket importanceʼ is. i.e. Starts in North American, to Western Europe, to Japan etc. - The rest of the world gets a watered down version of news. Tele Noveles - Latin American Soaps - Culture - very ʻwesternʼ - based on American views but has a Latin slant on it. - The further south you get - the lesser the quality of the media. - Effect? - Ruins/destroys local cultures - mirrors old school colonialism. - We look at America as our cultural leader. - Schiller - drives consumerism in societies that canʼt afford it. - Homogenization - Big Brother - All over world - These other countries get a standardized version of our culture, but the strive for this. - (Dark side of homogenization) - ʻFair and Handsomeʼ skin lightening cream - huge success in India. - Why do they want their skin to be lighter? - They see white Americans everyday through TV and globalization. - Strive for their culture - to be like them i.e. having fair skin. - Owner of the company made millions. Chomsky and Herman (1998) - Ownership. - A lot of companies are owned by one dominant company. - Rupert Murdoch - Owns tabloids and broadsheets - a lot of media that we (UK) see, the views that are presented are all owned by one, Australian man. - Media is a money making business. - Aim is simply to sell. - One man (Murdoch) controls the agenda of society. - Funding. - i.e. Layout - A story should not be put next to a certain advert if it interferes with your buying needs - it should enhance it. - Sourcing. - News readers are always placed in places worth reporting - in the west i.e. outside the white house or 10 downing street, just incase something happens. - Flak. - Negative responses to news stories. - Stops stories coming out. - i.e. Global warming - they were trying to manage public opinion (scare mongering) - Anti-communist theory. - ʻAnti-ideologiesʼ - Islam - Radical Islam is demonised. - Tries to repress difference. - ʻQuellʼ revolution. - Gives a total dominance of the world, once people believe your views / ideas, they trust you. 2
Contextual and Theoretical Studies
10/12/2009
ʻAn Inconvenient Truthʼ - Al Gore, 2006, Dir. David Guggenheim ʻA global warningʼ - Sensationalist. - Propaganda - Does have scientific / sudo science facts in it. - Tries to scare us - WE are ruining the world. - Trying to get it onto US school curriculum - but others are trying to ban it. - Jim Inhofe - global warming is a hoax. - Nigel Lawson - Global warming is a propagandist term. Competitive Enterprise Institute - ʻCO2 - They call it pollution, we call it lifeʼ - Response to global warming etc. - 2 60 second commercials on US TV. - US and China are pumping out pollution at increasingly higher rates. - But there are No restrictions. Al Goreʼs solution - Release less CO2. - Plant more vegetation. - Try to be CO2 neutral. - Recycle. - Buy a hybrid vehicle - Capitalist view ʻspend money to save the worldʼ. - ʻEncourage everyone to watch this filmʼ (An Inconvenient Truth) Carbon Trading - The permission to pollute. - Pay smaller, third world companies to use less pollution so their (the western) company can use more. - i.e. ʻYou can release 1000 units - if you release just 100, weʼll pay you for the other 900 so that we can release themʼ. Sustainability - ʻNothing physical can grow indefinitely - The world isnʼt big enough.ʼ - The world isnʼt growing - only so much room. - Canʼt sustain AND grow. Biox - Biofuel - Clean, alternative fuel. - More expensive to produce. - Factory was built in Canada in 2004. - Situated in poorest area of Canada - Ontario, Hamilton. - Negative social and environmental consequences - Causes more problems than it solves. - Tremors - houses fell down. - Sulphuric acid is the bi-product or it - toxic - stored near peoples houses. Greenwashing - Presents an eco friendly image yet they have NO want to actually be green. - The products are still bad for the earth. - i.e. McDonalds changed its colours from Red and Yellow to Green and Yellow to ʻappearʼ more green. 3
Contextual and Theoretical Studies
10/12/2009
- Ford Taurus SHO Ecoboost - reported to car standards - was promoted for the ʻecoboostʼ but it was not actually economically helpful at all. - Ideologically spinning views - Your company LOOKS green - but youʼre still doing the same thing. - Environmentalism - Capitalism with a green face - ʻBUY a green carʼ. - Ecologism - ʻReclaim the streetsʼ - System needs replacing - current one will continue to destroy. - All ʻenvironmentalismʼ is depleting worlds resources so its not actually helping. - Papanek. V - Book ʻDesign for the Real Worldʼ - Rather than buying, you can make. - Design for sustainability not consumption. Obeygiant.com - OBEY - Shepherd Fairey - Quotes from G20 protest - ʻCapitalism isnʼt working.ʼ - ʻDemocracy is an illusionʼ.
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